Cobra-killer 1959 Devin SS factory prototype

The Pick of the Day is the first example of Bill Devin’s second-generation Devin SS roadsters, powered by a Corvette V8 engine

While California sports car icon Bill Devin is best remembered for attractive, lightweight fiberglass bodies designed to replace the steel bodies of existing sports cars, the highlight of his career was undoubtedly the Devin Super Sport.

The Devin SS was a fully realized performance roadster with a unique body and chassis and powered by Chevrolet V8 engines, which gave monumental performance to the sports cars weighing less than 2,000 pounds. The original batch of 15 cars was produced starting in 1957 using a chassis manufactured in Ireland.

The fiberglass-bodied Devin weighs less than 2,000 pounds

The Pick of the Day, a 1959 Devin SS, is the first of the “second design” roadsters built on a purpose-made California chassis and is the sole survivor of three prototypes built, according to the Costa Mesa, California, dealer advertising the car on ClassicCars.com. Fewer than 10 of the second-gen sports cars were produced.

This Devin SS, chassis DSS-001, has a colorful history, originally used as an advertising display model, then sold to a private owner in 1961. The next owner was Terry Stokes, who would become a well-known mechanic and restorer who later worked for Carrol Shelby, Phil Hill and Mario Andretti. He drove the car on the street and in vintage racing and showed it at concours events until 1996, when Bill Devin talked him into selling it back to him.

A 327/425-horsepower Corvette engine lies under the hood

Stokes was surprised when less than a year later, Devin resold the prototype to Steve Young, a board member for the Petersen Automotive Museum. Young had the car extensively restored by Devin expert Chris Wickersham, who installed a Corvette 327cid V8 rated at 425 horsepower on pump gas and set it up for track performance, the seller says in the ad description.

The Devin was vintage raced extensively by Young and subsequent owners over the years and retains its competition log book. It is also licensed for street use.